The Honorable, the Senate:
hist160190I am vetoing Senate Bill 900 in its entirety. This bill would allow municipalities and private landowners to create title over formerly submerged lands in the Great Lakes waters – land which the state of Wisconsin currently holds in public trust for the people of Wisconsin – and certain commercial waterways. Under the bill, a person may submit an application to a municipality for a determination of the location of the proposed shoreline. The bill would require the Department of Natural Resources to adopt a determination by a municipality unless the department finds a municipality’s public interest determination lacked substantial evidence, or the property is not upland. The latter determination would not warrant a full rejection, but would rather require the Department to modify the proposed shoreline accordingly
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to impinging on the constitutional public trust doctrine under Article IX, Section 1 of the Wisconsin Constitution. This bill would open the door to the whittling away of public land by allowing the transfer of public lands to private entities for private use without a rigorous review process. While I appreciate the Legislature’s efforts to clarify the law in this area, I believe that this bill as drafted would violate the constitutional public trust doctrine in certain applications and, in its current form, could likely lead to litigation.
Respectfully submitted,
TONY EVERS
Governor
_____________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
April 15, 2022
The Honorable, the Senate:
hist160191I am vetoing Senate Bill 936 in its entirety. This bill would modify the way in which the Elections Commission processes sworn complaints, requiring the commissioners to determine how to proceed with the complaints, and would modify the procedures for the post-election audit.
The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy; it should not be subject to the whim of politicians who do not like the outcome of an election. Elected officials should not be able to abuse their power to cheat or control the outcomes of our elections or to prevent eligible voters from casting their ballots. This legislation is among many that have been sent to my desk during this legislative session, each passed under the guise of needing to reform our election system because elected officials in this state have enabled disinformation about our elections and election processes. I have and will object to each and every effort by this Legislature and its members to undermine our democracy, to erode confidence in our elections, and to demean and harass dedicated clerks, election administrators, and poll workers.
I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to the Legislature micromanaging the way the Elections Commission reviews and addresses complaints of elections violations, creating unnecessarily burdensome requirements. The Elections Commission has a clear responsibility to review election complaints in a timely manner. The 60-day timeline proposed by this bill is unnecessarily cumbersome. The commission and its staff require flexibility when responding to complaints as necessary and should not have to wait for a formal commission meeting to act whether that be to grant relief or dismiss a frivolous complaint.
Respectfully submitted,
TONY EVERS
Governor
_____________
Referrals and Receipt of Committee Reports Concerning Proposed Administrative Rules
The committee on Agriculture and Tourism reported and recommended:
Relating to county and district fairs.
Ayes: 5 – Senators Ballweg, Marklein, Testin, Petrowski and Bernier.
Noes: 4 - Senators Pfaff, Erpenbach, L. Taylor and Smith.
JOAN BALLWEG
Chairperson